Collapsible wardrobe for doll clothes



J 30,1957 c. o. JONES 2,801,145

COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE FOR DbLL CLOTHES Filed May 6, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Car/ 0. Janes 4 TTORNE July 30, 1957 c. o. JONES COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE FOR DOLL CLOTHES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 6, 1954 INVENTOR. Gar/ 0. Jones July 30, 1957 c. o. JONES 2,801,145

COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE FOR DLL CLOTHES Filed May 6, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. Ga/'/ 0. Janefi United States Patent v 2,801,145 COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE FOR DOLL CLOTHES Carl 0. Jones, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Midwest Hanger Co., Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missonn Application May 6, 1954, Serial No. 428,07 7

3 Claims. (Cl. 312-259) This invention relates to laythings for children and particularly to a collapsible wardrobe for doll clothes that is especially novel because of use of relatively inexpensive materials to form the same and advantageous further because of its completely collapsible characteristics facilitating the problem of packaging, shipping and storage.

It is the most important object of the instant invention to provide a collapsible wardrobe that may be made entirely from cardboard or other flexible material and including essential components for simulating full scale structures including not only a supporting pole for hangers, doors for making the doll clothing accessible, and a drawer that may be used for miscellaneous items such as accessories for the dolls and the doll clothing.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a wardrobe wherein is included .a polygonal body having novel means for holding the same assembled and presenting not only a bottom wall for the wardrobe compartment, but a slide wall for the aforementioned drawer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a collapsible wardrobe having strike-out tabs that extend through slots in flanges on the two horizontal walls just above-mentioned, thereby providing an inexpensive means of interconnection.

Other objects include the way in which the hanger rod is held in place by strike-out tabs on flanges at the uppermost end of the hollow body; the way in which the latter is reinforced and closed at its uppermost end by a dishshaped cap member; the manner of forming the cap member and the drawer without use of fastening elements; and many additional details of construction, all of which willbe made clear as the following specification progresses.

' In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a collapsible wardrobe for doll clothes made pursuant to the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, stretched-out, perspective view, parts being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank for forming the uppermost closure or cap.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the main body in a folded condition.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the blank from which the drawer is made.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the blank forming the bottom wall of the wardrobe compartment.

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the blank forming the wall upon which the drawer slides.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the hanger-receiving pole.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed, crosssecional view taken on line IX--IX of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, perspective view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification of the instant invention.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the drawer-receiving enclosure used in the form of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the enclosure collapsed; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary, detailed, cross-sectional view taken on line XIII-XIII of Fig. 10.

The component parts of the collapsible wardrobe shown in Figs. 1-9 of the drawings, include a hollow, polygonal body broadly designated by the numeral 10; a closure or cap 12 for the upper open end of the body 10; an open top drawer 14; an uppermost U-shaped member 16 overlying the drawer 14 when it is within the body 10; a lowermost U-shaped member 18 normally disposed be neath the drawer 14; and a hanger-receiving pole 20.

These six component parts are shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive and it is readily appreciated that, by virtue of their flat condition, the problem of packing, storage and shipment is greatly simplified. It may be pointed out also that the said six parts are easily and quickly extended and assembled into the finished wardrobe as shown in Fig. 1.

With the exception of pole 20 which may consist of an ordinary wood dowel, the entire wardrobe is preferably made from a suitable, relatively heavy cardboard or like material that may be scored, cut and bent so as to permit assembly without the need of particular skill or use of any tool or fastening apparatus.

Body 10 is made from an initially flat, rectangular strip of material and provided with lines of bend 22, 24 and 26 setting off four vertical walls as is seen in Fig. 2 and the ends may be joined by a tape 28 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A continuous line of bend 30 extending longitudinally of the blank from which body 10 is made, presents an inturned flange 32 at the uppermost end of the body 10 as seen in Fig. 2. A pair of opposed strike-out tabs 34 formed in the flange 32 may be bent inwardly and downwardly and are provided with openings 36 for receiving the horizontal pole 20.

The normally front wall 38 of the body 10 is cut to present a pair of doors 40 swingable on lines of bend 42 and an elongated opening 44 in the front wall 38 spaced below the doors 40, slidably receives the drawer 14. Each of the side walls of the body 10 is also provided with a strike-out tab 46 for purposes hereinafter to be made clear.

The U-shaped member 16 is provided with a pair of transverse lines of bend 4S presenting a bight 50 and a pair of down-turned legs 52 when the member 16 is disposed within the body 10 as shown in Fig. 2, and as best seen in Fig. 3, the bight 50 not only completely overlies the open top of the drawer 14 but forms the bottom wall of a hollow compartment 54 that houses doll clothes when supported by the pole 20 through use of conventionallyshaped hangers. Likewise, the drawer 14 is disposed between the down-turned legs 52. The U-shaped member 18 is likewise provided with lines of bend 56 presenting four down-turned legs 58, two of which engage the legs 52 of the member 16 as shown in Fig. 9. Bight 60 of member 18 slidably supports the drawer 14 and aligned openings 62 and 64, and members 16 and 18 respectively receive the strike-out tabs 46 when the same are bent inwardly beneath the bight 60 as shown in Fig. 9.

The drawer 14 is made from the blank shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings which includes a bottom 66 and having lines of bend 68 permitting the formation of sides 70 for drawer 14. The front and rear ends of the drawer 14 are substantially identical in that the same include inner and outer thicknesses folded on lines of bend 72 over inturned tongues 74 which constitute extensions of the sides 70. Aligned openings 76 in the front end of the drawer 14 facilitate opening and closing of the drawer 14.

The cover 12 is made from blank 78 shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings which is in all essential respects the same as the blank shown in Fig. 5 for producing the drawer 14. The openings 76 are of course, eliminated in the blank 78 and the latter is provided with additional inturned flanges 80 that rest upon the fiangesj32 when n the cover 12 is in place as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. Since the cover 12 is dish-shaped and, therefore, provided with a continuous down-turned, peripheral flange 82' which surrounds the body 10, the latter is reinforced and held against collapsing notwithstanding the nature-of the material from which the entirewardrobe isv bend 56 and'rnember 18 is inserted into the body 10 between the down-turned legs 52 of member 16. The flexibility of the material "from. which the unit is made, permits bending of the strike-out tabs 46 inwardly through the aligned openings 62 and 64 as shown in Fig. 9. Cover 12'and drawer 14 are then assembled from blank 78 and from the blank shown in Fig. 5 respectively, and the drawer 14 slipped into place through the opening 44 and between the bights or horizontal walls 50 and 66 of members 16 and 18 respectively. Strikeout tabs'34 of flange 3 2 are'turned inwardly and the pull 26 is inserted into the openings 36. Thereupon, the

cover 12 is placed on the body 16. It is but necessary to include but a few simple instructions with the unit when sold in a knocked-down condition to permit quick assembly of'the'wardrobejready for use as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. 7 i ,r a

While the drawer-receiving enclosure 1618 of Figs I9 is ineffect a single unit when joined by tabs 46, in Fi'gsJlO-l'a there is shown an enclosure 113 for drawer I14 that 'is initially joined as'a unit by tape 115. It in cludes, a pair of horizontal walls 150 and 160 and end flanges or legs 152; e

: Enclosure .113 is supported by feet 158 in the nature of tabs struck out of wall 160 and extending downwardly from legs 152 in perpendicular relationshipto wall 160.

As seen in Figs. l0'and. 15, the distance between the inner faces of legs 152 is substantially the same as the width of drawer 114 whereasthe latter has a height equal essentially to the distance between walls 150 and 160.

Encl0sure'113 flso fits snugly within body 10, hearing not only against the side walls 133 and 135 thereof as I in the case of legs 52 of member 16, but against the rear wall 137 and the front wall 138 of body 110. Notable also is that the feet 158 terminate flush with the lowermost edges of walls 133 and 135 when the enclosure 113 is in register with drawer-receiving opening N4 formed in front wall 138. In all other respects the embodiment of the present invention depicted by l()l3 may be the same as'Figs, 1-9. 1

Such modifications of details of construction that become obvious from the instant disclosure, are conte'mriated hereby and, therefore, it is desired to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cardboard wardrobe for use by children, a

bellow, initially collapsed, open bottom body having a rear wali, a pair of side walls, and a front wall provided with a polygonal opening; lines of bend interconnecting the walls; a U-shaped initially collapsed memoer within the body having a horizontal bight spanning the distance between the side walls and the distancebetween the front and rear walls, presenting a compartment thereabove for doll clothes, said front wall having a swingable door integral therewith for access to the compartment, said member having downturned legs hear ing flatly against the inner faces of the side Walls; lines of bend connecting the legs with the bight; an initially collapsed, open top drawer extending through said opening beneath said bight and between said legs, said drawer having a bottom and upstanding walls provided with lines of bend joining the same with the periphery of the drawer bottom; a horizontal element slidably receiving said drawer thereaoove, said element spanning the distance between said legs and the distance between the front and rear walls; and means supporting said element.

2. The invention as. set forth in claim 1 wherein said element is provided Withdownturned supporting feet and V wherein is provided releasable means interlocking the feet, the legs and the side walls.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said 633,318 Horle Sept. 19, 1899 2,350,280 Holtzman May 30, 1944 2,486,745 Harris Nov. 1, 1949 2,551,089 Behrens May 1,1951. 2,572,717

Gersten Oct. 23,;1951

Figs. 

